A US woman who shot and killed her husband and two adult children before taking her own life is thought to have committed the shocking crime as a result of being ostracised from the religion she was raised in.

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Family of Brenda Goudge say they know who killed her as police claim investigation is 'all but over'

The children of murdered Melbourne woman Brenda Goudge say the investigation into their mother’s brutal death is "all but over."

It’s heartbreaking, and it's incredibly frustrating, not least for Brenda's son Adam, who says he knows who's responsible for the crime.

"Blind Freddy could have sat through that inquest and known who did this" Adam tells me, following the Coronial Inquest into his mum's death.

He's talking about a man named Paul Callaway, an ex-detective, who was also Brenda’s business partner before she was killed in July, 2011.

Paul Callaway was Brenda's business partner. (A Current Affair)

The 61-year-old was a "nanna" to six beautiful grandchildren. I write nanna, because Brenda didn’t like being called “grandma”. She thought it made her sound old.

Callaway, and Brenda’s daughter Rebecca, found her body floating in the pool in the backyard of her Wantirna South home, after she failed to show up to work.

A post-mortem revealed Brenda had suffered blunt-force trauma to the jaw, and had been slashed in the cheek. It’s believed she was attacked in her home by someone known to her, before being dragged out and dumped in the pool.

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Rebecca followed the trail of blood through the house to find her mum floating lifeless in the water, tangled up in bed sheets. It must have been absolutely horrific.

Brenda and Callaway had frequently argued. According to the Goudge family, Callaway had bullied, and intimidated Brenda.

Police told the inquest into Brenda’s death that Callaway - who has an in-depth knowledge of DNA evidence from his years in law enforcement - deliberately disturbed the crime scene when he found the body. He also changed his alibi, and benefited financially from Brenda’s death.

He'd convinced Brenda to take out life insurance before her death, so their struggling car-parts business would receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in the event anything happened to her.

Callaway has always strongly denied any involvement in the crime.

Brenda's feisty sisters, Sue and Barbara, were there every day of the two-week Coronial Inquest.

Barb, armed with a writing pad, taking down extensive notes. Sue, struggling to keep colourful language to herself during some of the testimony.

Callaway chose not to testify on the basis he might incriminate himself.

When the Coroner ruled there was not enough hard evidence to suggest Callaway was responsible for the crime, the Goudge family was devastated. Sue was crying. We hugged. "You feel her all the time. I felt we let her down." Sue tells me. I ask if she hates Callaway. "I do hate him. If I saw him in the street, I'd smack him in the mouth."

Callaway was lucky Sue wasn’t with me when I approached the former detective as he left his local butcher, in the sleepy Melbourne suburb of Hurstbridge. You can watch the video above. I ask if he has anything to say to the Goudge family.

What’s his reaction to their serious allegations? He says nothing, jumps in his car, and drives off.

When the Coroner made her ruling, the case was handed over to Cold Case homicide detectives. This month, those detectives delivered more bad news to the Goudge family. They told them there was nothing left to investigate, no more leads to follow up, no more loose ends to tidy.

"It's heartbreaking, and there’s nothing we can do," Adam says.

I can't possibly imagine how it feels for that beautiful family, having to live every day with the knowledge that whoever murdered their loved one has effectively gotten away with it.

Brenda's son Adam is heartbroken by the finding. (A Current Affair).The 61-year-old was a "nanna" to six grandchildren. (Supplied)

While right now, justice may seem out of reach, it's not out of the realms of possibility. There has to be somebody out there who knows something.

Brenda's grand children have lost their beloved nanna, her children have lost a loving mum, and the monster responsible is free.

There is a one million dollar reward for information that leads to a conviction. Please call Crimestoppers if you can help. The number is 1800 333 000.